SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – Robert Jesus Blancas, a/k/a “Orgotloth” a/k/a “MuskOx,” made his initial appearance today after being charged in a federal criminal complaint alleging the enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, that is, the production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson and FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair.
According to the criminal complaint, Blancas, 33, a transient resident of the Bay Area, was identified as a member of an anti-government citizen militia group associated with the so-called “boogaloo” movement. A search of his electronic devices revealed not only evidence of his association with this group and communications related to acts of violence against law enforcement, but also evidence of his activities related to child pornography.
The criminal complaint alleges that in or about May 2020, Blancas met a 15-year-old minor female on an online forum. Through at least August 2020, Blancas exchanged thousands of text messages over multiple online and text message platforms with the minor victim, instructing her to send him pornographic photographs and videos of herself.
The criminal complaint further alleges that photographs and videos of the minor victim sent to Blancas depict a young girl and the bedroom of a young girl. The criminal complaint also describes examples of Blancas’s prior conversations of a sexually explicit nature with additional users who identified their ages to him as 13, 15, and 16.
Blancas is charged with the enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b). If convicted, Blancas faces a minimum penalty of 10 years to a maximum of lifetime in prison, a minimum of 5 years to a maximum of lifetime of supervised release, and a maximum of a $250,000 fine. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
A complaint merely alleges that a crime has been committed, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Blancas was arrested on December 1, 2020, and made his initial appearance in federal court earlier today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler. Blancas is currently held in custody pending further proceedings. His next federal court appearance is scheduled for a detention hearing on December 8, 2020, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler.
The prosecution is being handled by the Special Prosecutions Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.